Apparatuses For Controlling Airflow Beneath A Raised Floor

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a floor tile includes a body having a top side, a bottom side, and multiple lateral sides, and an integrated flow control element extending down from the bottom side, the flow control element being configured to control the flow of air below the floor tile.

BACKGROUND

Data centers, also referred to as computer rooms, often comprise a raised floor that forms an enclosed space with a sub-floor over which the raised floor is constructed. The enclosed space can be used to route various objects, such cables, power lines, and conduit, within the data center. When the raised floor is vented, the enclosed space can further be used as a plenum that delivers cooled air to the data center that can be used to cool heat-generating equipment provided in the center. In such a case, the vents in the raised floor may be positioned adjacent to inlets of the equipment with which air is drawn into the equipment.

Although the areas of the raised floor that comprise vents normally comprise only a fraction of the total area of the raised floor, it is common to cool the entire enclosed space below the raised floor. Therefore, much of the cooled air, and the energy used to produce it, are wasted. Furthermore, because there typically is nothing within the enclosed space to route the cooled air around the objects contained within the enclosed space, the flow of cooled air to the vents can be impeded, thereby reducing cooling efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed apparatuses can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the tile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the tile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tile of FIG. 2 taken along section line 4-4.

FIG. 5A is a schematic top view of the tile of FIG. 1, illustrating a first orientation of a flow control element of the tile.

FIG. 5B is a further schematic top view of the tile of FIG. 1, illustrating alternative orientations of a flow control element of the tile.

FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a data center that incorporates the tile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the tile of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the tile of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the tile of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the tile of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is an end view of a data center that illustrates use of the tiles of FIGS. 7 and 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, current cooling of data center equipment using a raised floor can be inefficient due to either or both of using energy to cool air that is not actually used to cool the equipment and failure to route the cooled air around objects that can impede airflow. As described in the following, however, greater efficiency can be achieved by controlling the airflow beneath the raised floor. In some embodiments, tiles used to form the raised floor comprise integral flow control elements that provide such control. Various embodiments of such tiles are disclosed below.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the views, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a first embodiment of a floor tile 100. As indicated in those figures, the floor tile 100 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first or top side 102, an opposed second or bottom side 104, and multiple lateral sides 106. In this embodiment, there are four lateral sides 106, each having the same approximate length such that the floor tile 100 is square. Notably, however, the tile 100 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.). In some embodiments, perforations (not shown) can be provided through the tile 100 from the bottom side 104 to the top side 102 such that air from a plenum below the tile can flow through the tile and into a room in which the tile is used.

Extending from the bottom side 104 of the tile 100 is an integrated flow control element 108. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the flow control element 108 takes the form of a bristle brush comprising a multiplicity of closely-packed bristles 110 composed of a flexible and/or resilient material. Such an arrangement enables the flow control element 108 to conform to objects contained within the plenum. By way of example, the bristles 110 comprise filaments of non-static generating polymeric material. In some embodiments, the bristles 110 have lengths, and therefore the flow control element 108 has a depth, of approximately 24 inches (in.) to 36 in. such that the flow control element can extend down to a sub-floor over which a raised floor has been constructed. As indicated most clearly in FIG. 3, the flow control element 108 can have a length that extends from one lateral side 106 of the tile 100 to another lateral side 106 of the tile such that the flow control element is as long as the tile is wide.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the bristles 110 of the flow control element 108 are mounted to and extend outwardly from a pivotable support member 112 that is can be pivoted about its longitudinal axis. The support member 112 therefore enables the bristles 110 to be transitioned from an orientation in which they are generally perpendicular to the tile 100 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) to a position in which they are generally parallel to the tile (not shown). Such functionality facilitates shipping of the tile 100 as well as positioning of the flow control element 102 in a diagonal orientation between the perpendicular and parallel orientations.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tile 100 taken along section line 4-4 in FIG. 2. As indicated in FIG. 4, the support member 112 can be formed as an elongated tube that is pivotally mounted on horizontal shaft 114. As is further indicated in FIG. 4, the horizontal shaft 114 is connected to and supported by a vertical shaft 116 that extends into the tile 100. Provided at the top end of the vertical shaft 116 is a head 118 that is received within a cavity 120 formed within the tile 100. With that arrangement, vertical shaft 116 can rotate about its longitudinal axis so as to enable rotation of the horizontal shaft 114. Through such rotation, the support member 112 and the bristles 110 that extend therefrom can likewise rotate about the vertical shaft 116. Accordingly, the flow control element 108 can be pivoted or rotated about two separate axes.

The rotation enabled by the vertical shaft 116 is schematically depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Beginning with FIG. 5A, the flow control element 108 is placed in a first orientation (orientation “A”) in which the flow control element is parallel or perpendicular to the lateral sides 106 of the tile 100, depending upon which side is considered. In FIG. 5B, however, the flow control element 108 is shown in two alternative orientations, a first orientation (orientation “B”) in which the flow control element 108 forms acute angles with orientation “A” shown in FIG. 5A, and a second orientation (orientation “C”) in which the flow control element 108 is perpendicular to orientation “A.”

When the above-described tile 100 is used in a raised floor, the flow control elements 108 can be advantageously used to control airflow beneath the floor so as to increase the cooling and/or energy efficiency of the system used to cool heat-generating equipment. In particular, cooled air can be channeled using the flow control elements of multiple adjacent tiles 100 so that the cooled air is confined to an area in which it can be utilized and objects that can impeded airflow are avoided. An example of such channeling is described below in relation to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 depicts a data center 122 in which various heat-generating equipment is used. Examples of such equipment include server computers, storage computers, communications equipment, and the like. The equipment is provided in rows 124, which may comprise racks that support the equipment. Provided between the rows are aisles along which administrators or technicians may pass. In the illustrated embodiment, the aisles include “cold” aisles 126 and 127 from which the equipment draws relatively cool air and “hot” aisles 128 and 129 into which the equipment exhausts relatively hot air. Such airflow is identified in FIG. 6 with the small block arrows.

In order to best cool the equipment, it is desirable to deliver cool, for example air-conditioned, air to the cold aisles 126 and 127. Such air can be delivered using a raised floor. The data center 122 comprises such a raised floor 130 formed in part by multiple tiles 132, at least some of which being configured like the tile 100 described above. By way of example, the raised floor 130 is raised above a sub-floor (e.g., concrete floor) and bounds a plenum that is approximately 24 in. to 36 in. in height. Discharging air into that plenum are air conditioning units 134 and 135 that supply cooled air to the plenum. In conventional systems, the air conditioning units 134 and 135 would supply cool air to the entire plenum, i.e., the entire volume of air below the raised floor 130. In the data center 122 shown in FIG. 6, however, the cooled air is channeled primarily or solely to portions of the plenum below the cold aisles 126 and 127. Such channeling is possible through use of the flow control members 108 described in the foregoing. Specifically, the flow control members 108 of adjacent tiles 100 can be aligned end-to-end with each other so as to form substantially continuous guide walls below the raised floor 130 that direct and contain the cooled air.

FIG. 6 provides examples of such guide walls. Beginning with the cold aisle 126, two rows 136 of tiles 100 are provided along the cold aisle so as to form parallel guide walls 138 composed of aligned flow control elements 108. The guide walls 138 define a channel 140 along which cooled air (represented by the large block arrows) generated by the air conditioning unit 134 can flow. Therefore, instead of flowing throughout the entire plenum, the cooled air generated by the air conditioning unit 134 is confined to a relatively small area above which lies the cold aisle 126. Assuming at least some of the tiles within the cold aisle 126 comprise vents, the cooled air generated by the air conditioning unit 134 can be routed to the inlets of the equipment and potentially away from objects beneath the raised floor 130 that could impede or otherwise interfere with the flow. Turning next to the cold aisle 127, cooled air from the air conditioning unit 135 is diagonally redirected using the flow control elements 108 of tiles 100 adjacent the air conditioning unit. The cooled air is then guided by a channel 142 defined by a further guide wall 144 comprised of aligned flow control elements 108 and an outer wall 146 of the data center 122.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a second embodiment of a floor tile 200. As indicated in those figures, the floor tile 200 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first or top side 202, an opposed second or bottom side 204, and multiple lateral sides 206. In this embodiment, there are four lateral sides 206, each having the same approximate length such that the floor tile 200 is square. Notably, however, the tile 200 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.). Extending through the tile 200 are multiple perforations 208 that enable airflow through the tile, for example from the bottom side 204 to the top side 206. Although the perforations 208 are depicted as round holes, it is noted that the perforations can have other shapes or orientations.

Extending from the bottom side 204 of the tile 200 is an integrated flow control element 210. In the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9, the flow control element 210 takes the form of an air scoop that directs air up toward the bottom side 204 of the tile 200 and, therefore, toward the perforations 208. By way of example, the flow control element 210 has a three-dimensional curvature extending from a distal tip 212 to a base 214 that is connected to the bottom side 204 of the tile 200. In some embodiments, the distance between the tip 212 and the base 214 is approximately 24 in. to 36 in.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate a third embodiment of a floor tile 300. As indicated in those figures, the floor tile 300 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first or top side 302, an opposed second or bottom side 304, and multiple lateral sides 306. In this embodiment, there are four lateral sides 306, each having the same approximate length such that the floor tile 300 is square. Notably, however, the tile 300 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.). Extending from the bottom side 304 of the tile 300 is an integrated flow control element 308. In the embodiment of FIGS. 10-12, the flow control element 308 takes the form of airflow diverter that laterally diverts cooled air generated by an air conditioning unit. The flow control element 308 has a generally symmetric, curved shape. In some embodiments, that shape can take the form of an inverted bell curve shape having a distal tip 310 and a base 312 at which the flow control element 308 connects to the tile 300. In some embodiments, the distance between the tip 310 and the base 312 is approximately 24 in. to 36 in. As with the flow control elements 108 described above, the flow control elements 308 of adjacent tiles 300 can be aligned end-to-end so as to form a substantially continuous wall.

FIG. 13 depicts a data center 400 that incorporates both tile 200 and tile 300. As indicated in FIG. 13, the data center 400 includes a raised floor 402 that is supported above a sub-floor 404 so as to define a plenum 406 into which cooled air can be directed. The raised floor 402 supports rows 408 and 410 of heat-generating equipment. To the outside of each row 408, 410 are cold aisles 412 and 414. Between the rows 408, 410 is a hot aisle 416. Therefore, the equipment in the rows 408, 410 are configured to draw in relatively cool air from the cold aisles 412, 414 and exhaust relatively hot air into the hot aisle 416. To ensure that cooled air from the plenum 406 reaches the cold aisles 412, 414 in an efficient manner, a central diverter 418 is positioned below the hot aisle 416 within the plenum 406 such that cool air will not be delivered to the space below the hot aisle. As indicated in FIG. 13, cable trays 420 can be mounted to the central diverter 418, if desired.

The raised floor 402 includes multiple tiles 200 and multiple tiles 300. Rows of tiles 300 are aligned with each other along the rows 408, 410 so as to help channel the cooled air toward the flow control elements 210 of individual tiles 200, which are positioned at selected locations along the cold aisles 412, 414. Such selected locations can be locations adjacent the equipment that generates the greatest amount of heat in the data center 400. Therefore, the cool air from an air conditioning unit (not shown) can diverted out toward the cold aisles 414 and scooped up by the flow control elements 210 so as to be directed through the perforations 208 (see FIG. 7) provided in the tiles 200 to the hottest heat-generating equipment. Accordingly, the cooled air can be routed to the equipment that needs the cooled air the most. 

1. A floor tile comprising: a body having a topside, a bottom side, and multiple lateral sides; and an integrated flow control element extending down from the bottom side, the flow control element being configured to control the flow of air below the floor tile.
 2. The floor tile of claim 1, wherein the tile body comprises a plurality of perforations through which air can flow.
 3. The floor tile of claim 1, wherein the flow control element comprises a bristle brush including a multiplicity of closely-packed bristles.
 4. The floor tile of claim 3, wherein the bristles are composed of a flexible material.
 5. The floor tile of claim 3, wherein the bristles comprise filaments of non-static generating polymeric material.
 6. The floor tile of claim 3, wherein the bristles are mounted on a pivotable support member that can be pivoted relative to its longitudinal axis to change the orientation of the bristles relative to the tile body.
 7. The floor tile of claim 6, wherein the pivotable support member is supported from the tile body by a rotatable shaft about which the pivotable support member can rotate, such that the flow control element can be pivoted or rotated about two separate axes.
 8. The floor tile of claim 1, wherein the flow control element has a depth of approximately 24 inches to 36 inches and is adapted to extend down to a sub-floor over which a raised floor in which the floor tile is provided.
 9. The floor tile of claim 1, wherein the flow control element has a length that extends from one lateral side of the tile to another lateral side of the tile such that the flow control element is as long as the tile is wide.
 10. The floor tile of claim 1, wherein the flow control element comprises an air scoop that directs air up toward the bottom side of the tile body.
 11. The floor tile of claim 10, wherein air scoop has a three-dimensional curvature extending from a distal tip to a base that connects to the bottom side of the tile body.
 12. The floor tile of claim 11, wherein the distance between the tip and the base is approximately 24 inches to 36 inches.
 13. The floor tile of claim 1, wherein the flow control element comprises an air diverter that laterally diverts air.
 14. The floor tile of claim 13, wherein air diverter has a bell curve shape extending from a distal tip to a base that connects to the bottom side of the tile body.
 15. The floor tile of claim 14, wherein the distance between the tip and the base is approximately 24 inches to 36 inches.
 16. A data center comprising: a sub-floor; and a raised floor constructed above the sub-floor so as to define a plenum between the sub-floor and the raised floor, the raised floor comprising a plurality of floor tiles, at least one floor tile comprising an integrated flow control element that extends down from the at least one floor tile toward the sub-floor, the flow control element being configured to control airflow within the plenum.
 17. The data center of claim 16, wherein the flow control element comprises a bristle brush including a multiplicity of closely-packed bristles.
 18. The data center of claim 17, wherein the flow control element is pivotable or rotatable about two separate axes.
 19. The data center of claim 16, wherein the flow control element comprises an air scoop that directs air up toward a bottom side of the at least one tile.
 20. The data center of claim 16, wherein the flow control element comprises an air diverter that laterally diverts air.
 21. The data center of claim 16, wherein the raised floor comprises multiple tiles comprising integrated flow control elements, the multiple tiles being aligned in a row with their flow control elements being aligned end-to-end to form a substantially continuous wall within the plenum. 